Episode 14: Gai's Game
Shinji mentally groaned as he sat down at his computer. When the morning had begun, everything seemed like it was all going to be okay. Unfortunately, that hope was soon crushed when he found out that ORE Journal had been taken over by the mastermind behind the deathmatches between masked figures, and the latest Kamen Rider to be revealed. Jun Shibaura, AKA Kamen Rider Gai.
'What's this creep's aim in doing this?' Shinji thought as he furiously typed away at his keyboard, his face scrunched up in frustration. 'Why would he take over as the head of ORE? It doesn't make any sense! Unless he's doing all this just to get back at me for beating him last night at the docks. In which case, this guy's so freaking petty!'
However, Shinji wouldn't' be stuck in his thoughts for much longer as an outraged scream gripped his attention.
"How dare you!" Nanako cried out as she bolted up from her chair! "You've no right to talk to me like that just because you own the place!"
"Careful, Miss Shimura." Jun said with a smug grin. "I could take this little outburst as you threatening me. Besides, why get so mad at an honest observation? Your programming skills are quite mediocre when in comparison to mine."
"So what if they are?" Nanako snapped back. "They're more than enough to help keep ORE Journal up and running. Besides, if you're such a hotshot programmer, why don't you do my job for me, huh?"
"Tch. Please." Jun scoffed with a wave. "Why waste my talent on something so meager? Now, my position as ORE's owner? That's worth my time."
"Like you could ever compare to Chief Okubo." Nanako muttered under her breath.
"That's enough." Shinji said as he stood up from his desk and marched over to Jun, a fire in his eyes. "With all due respect, sir, Nanako's been a part of ORE Journal since the beginning. If she weren't here, we wouldn't be able to keep the site up and running. And in general, it's not a wise idea to insult the person who's in charge of maintenance. They know how to fix things, so they know how to break things, too."
"My, my. Playing the hero, Mr. Kido?" Jun chuckled mockingly.
"Just doing what a good employee should do: Supporting my coworkers." Shinji said firmly. "You should take notes on what a good boss should do from Chief Okubo."
"If he's so good, then why did he step down?" Jun said, a smug grin on his face.
It took everything Shinji had not to slug Jun right in the face. Loathe as he was to admit, Shinji couldn't risk doing anything that might cost him his job. And the worst part is, Jun knew that, which only furthered the intensity of his smugness. Jun didn't say a word, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes.
"I have you beat." Jun's eyes openly gloated as he left the two to stew in their own frustrations.
However, if Jun thought he had Shinji beaten, then he clearly didn't know the man very well. No, the exchange only further stoked the fire within Shinji. Today's interaction only further motivating Shinji to find a way to break free of his predicament. But the question still remained: How?
'Chief said he wanted to talk to me and Nanako at lunch about how Jun weaseled his way into being the head of ORE Journal.' Shinji thought as he headed back to his desk. 'Maybe knowing how can help me figure out a way to dethrone him.'
The next couple of hours seemed to tick by at an agonizingly slow pace, but lunch hour soon arrived. Daisuke called for both Shinji and Nanako to head out to lunch with him. But before the small group could leave, Jun had a few choice words for them.
"Taking employees out to lunch with you, Daisuke?" Jun asked with a raised eyebrow. "That doesn't seem like proper behavior for an employer to have."
"I'm not their employer any more, remember?" Daisuke said with a frown. "You made sure of that, so now I'm just a fellow employee. And last I checked, there's nothing wrong with a group of employees leaving to get a meal together."
"Fine." Jun shrugged. "No skin off my back."
"Thank you, sir." Daisuke said with clear irritation in his voice. "Shinji. Nanako. Let's go."
It was a short trip to the ramen joint that Daisuke had chosen to dine at, but the air at the group's table was intense. As they waited for their orders, Daisuke's had an expression on his face that could rival a steel wall in hardness.
"I'm sure both of you are curious as to how Jun came into ownership of ORE." Daisuke began with a sigh. "The truth of the matter is… I'm being blackmailed."
"Blackmailed?!" Shinji gasped, careful to keep his voice down given the public setting. "But how is that even possible, Chief? You haven't done anything illegal! What kind of leverage could Jun possibly be holding over your head?"
"It's nothing like that." Daisuke shook his head. "No, the blackmail he has on me is that he's holding our site hostage."
"But… how could that be?" Nanako asked before her eyes widened in shock. "Unless-"
"Yes. Jun uploaded a virus to ORE Journal's." Daisuke said gravely. "And he threatened to unleash it on our subscribers within our next article. If he were to do that, who knows how much harm he could do? Worse than our reputation being tanked, he could steal the information of all our subscribers and mess with their lives to an untold degree."
"I don't think someone from a family as wealthy as his would need to do that." Nanako muttered. "I can't even say why he'd bother hacking our site and putting himself as the company's head. For all any of us know, he's just doing this out of boredom."
'That's probably the same reason he started conducting his little death game in addition to joining the Rider War.' Shinji thought with a disgusted look on his face. "So what's our next move?"
"We can only move so far or speak out so much." Daisuke began. "However, Jun's only looking for visible displays of outrage. What he won't expect is for someone to work quietly against him. That's where you come in, Nanako. I want you to work on quietly dismantling whatever virus he's uploaded to ORE. With the axe looming over our heads gone, he'll have no power over us, meaning we can kick him out easily. Can I count on you, Nanako?"
"Absolutely!" Nanako nodded fervently. "I'll show that smug jerk for blackmailing you and insulting my skills! I can just picture his face when I send his scheme crashing down."
"Looks like we've got a game plan." Shinji smiled. "But there's one thing I don't get, Chief. Why did you bring me along?"
"Honestly, Shinji? You were a last minute addition because Jun said he met you before." Daisuke replied. "I know it probably wasn't for long, but I need to tell me anything you might know about him. It could give us an extra edge in ousting him from leadership."
'My first run-in was already one encounter too many, and far longer than I'd ever like to have met him.' Shinji thought with a frown. 'Still, I can't say it didn't give me any vital information.'
"Well, Chief, Jun was lying about when I met him." Shinji began. "It was last night when I was following the lead on the masked figures fighting to the death. I arrived on the scene, and he was there, too."
"Do you mean to tell me that he's a part of those death games?" Daisuke asked. His mouth gaping in shock.
"No." Shinji shook his head. "He's not a player, he's the mastermind. He told me so to my face. I… might've roughed him up a bit once he confessed to it. After that, he said that he wouldn't forget me 'beating him' and that he'd be taking his game to the next level. To be honest, I kind of feel like his takeover of ORE Journal is my fault."
Shinji clenched his fist in frustration. "All because I couldn't keep my temper in check, he decided to get back at me. If I'd known he'd be such a sore loser, I never would've tried anything."
"You mustn't blame yourself, Shinji." Daisuke sighed. "Were I in your position, I don't think I'd have been able to restrain myself either. And ultimately, you followed your gut. That's a skill that a lifetime of education could never teach."
"I appreciate that, Chief Okubo." Shinji smiled. "But let's not write me off as completely blame-free."
"As heartening as this is," Nanako interjected nervously. "The food's here."
Both Shinji and Daisuke let out a chuckle before devouring their meal. After paying, it was a quick ride back to the office. However, it wasn't long after they got back that Shinji would receive another interruption to his daily life as Mirror Noise began ringing in his ears. But then again, since fighting Mirror Monsters had been more common, could he really consider it an interruption.
"Better change in the bathroom." Shinji muttered to himself as he got up from his desk. But the minute he stood, the door to Jun's office swung open.
"Kido." Jun called out with a smug smirk. "I need to speak with you for a minute."
'Crap!' Shinji thought as he cobbled together an excuse. "Can it wait? There's something important I need to take care of right now."
"Oh? Putting your personal problems ahead of your work?" Jun teased. The aura of smugness around him intensifying with each word he spoke. "How very unprofessional of you. Not the sort of behavior I expect from my employees."
"This isn't something I can just stow away for later!" Shinji shouted, surprising the whole office! "I need to take care of this now! With or without your approval!"
"Tread carefully, Shinji." Jun warned with mock concern. "Your first day under my command could very well be your last."
"Shouldn't you be taking care of something important too?" Shinji fired back.
"Hmph. Fair enough." Jun pouted as he strolled back to his office.
Satisfied that he was free for the time being, Shinji bolted to his bike and sped off towards the nearest out of sight reflective surface. Fortunately, the one he'd found was incredibly close to the source of the alarm. Wasting no time, Shinji transformed into Kamen Rider Ryuki and leaped into the mirror! As the Rideshooter rocketed toward the would-be battlefield, Ryuki couldn't help but feel a bit troubled.
'Jun was trying to keep me at the office when the Mirror Noise went off.' Ryuki thought. 'Meaning he was probably trying to starve Dragreder to weaken him. I don't know if hungry Contract Monsters fight worse than full ones, but I don't care to find out! I might be too late in stopping the Mirror Monster from pursuing its victim, but if nothing else, I can stop it from devouring anyone else!'
Once the Rideshooter arrived at the scene of the alert, Ryuki immediately locked onto the source. It was a Mirror Monster that looked incredibly similar to the one he'd fought last night. The only noticeable differences were that its hair tentacles were long and loose and it was holding a spear. This was the Wiskraken.
"I guess all the Mirror Monsters are based off animals from our world." Ryuki muttered to himself as he slotted open the Dragvisor, prepared for the Wiskraken to charge at him. But to the rider's surprise, the Wiskraken took a defensive position.
'Okay. This one's clearly smarter than its cousin from last night.' Ryuki thought as he drew a card from his Advent Deck. 'Still, if it thinks it's safe at a distance… '
"STRIKE VENT!"
The Dragclaw instantly descended onto Ryuki's raised hand at the visor's announcement! Wasting no time, Ryuki launched a series of fireballs at the Wiskraken, the squid monster screaming in surprise and pain as the fiery barrage impacted against it! Not wanting to spend any further time at a disadvantage, the Wiskraken ran away into the nearest building, Ryuki immediately following suit. But before Ryuki could further pursue the Wiskraken within the building, he skidded to a halt as he caught sight of something charging at him from his side. Throwing his head back, Ryuki narrowly avoided a hit from Kamen Rider Gai! Seeing the two Riders attacking each other was something the Wiskraken couldn't understand. But at the same time, it wasn't going to pass up a chance to get away. As the monster fled, Ryuki's eyes widened in panic.
"No!" Ryuki cried out as he began to give chase again.
"You know, I really don't see why something like this demands such urgency from you." Gai said as he stood in a thinking pose. "What's so upsetting about letting a Mirror Monster get away? If you miss one, then another will come along later. No point getting worked up about it unless your Contract Monster's got a voracious appetite."
"Maybe another monster will come along, but there's no replacing the people they devour!" Ryuki snapped as he turned to face Gai! "That's the main reason I'm fighting! To protect people! I wouldn't expect a self-centered, thrill-addicted brat who's detached from reality to understand that."
"You're right." Gai shrugged. "I really can't understand why you'd waste your time saving countless nobodies who don't matter. Honestly, they should feel thankful the Mirror Monsters are targeting them. That makes them part of this exciting game."
Ryuki said nothing, but his clenched fist spoke volumes about his feelings toward Gai's statement. However, he could not waste time beating on Gai when there was a Mirror Monster on the loose. Staying his anger, Ryuki immediately dashed in the direction where the Wiskraken was headed. Thankfully, the area where the Mirror Monster had fled towards was far more open than the restaurant where Gai had tried to ambush Ryuki. Judging by the scorch marks present on the Wiskraken's hide, it was plain to see that Ryuki's earlier assault had done a number on it.
"Better make sure it can't run away!" Ryuki slotted open his visor and drew a card.
"ADVENT!"
A mighty roar echoed through the Mirror World, making the Wiskraken whip its head about in a panic. The squid monster fell to its knees in shock as a red blur streaked overhead! Hovering above his master, Dragreder let out another roar, cementing his arrival. The Wiskraken let out a shriek of fear as flames crackled within Dragreder's mouth. Before the squid monster could react, Dragreder let loose a stream of flames, the heat of the blast making the Wiskraken writhe on the ground. With the monster weakened, Ryuki opened up the Dragvisor and slotted in his Final Vent! Like so many times before, Ryuki crouched down before leaping into the air with Dragreder coiling around him before propelling the Rider forward with a blast of flame and sending him crashing into the Mirror Monster. Once the kick made its explosive contact, all which remained of the Wiskraken was its energy core which was immediately devoured by Dragreder.
"Hoped you liked having seafood for lunch today." Ryuki chuckled as Dragreder began to fly off. However, Ryuki could not rest easy as he heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards him! Jumping away in an instant, Ryuki just barely avoided Gai trying to tackle him like a football player!
"I'd like to see you try and do that out of your armor, Gai." Ryuki quipped. "Besides, I already took care of the monster. We're done here."
Beneath his helmet, Gai sneered. "That was just the mini-boss, Kido. The real battle starts here and now!"
"I bet it's easy for you to talk so big because you're in your armor." Ryuki retorted. "We both know I could take you on the other side of the mirrors easily."
"Don't get cocky just because you gained a little bit of XP!" Gai snapped. "A rookie player like you could never hope to stack up to a genius like myself! Furthermore, a gutless Rider like you, who's refuses to kill the other Kamen Riders has no right to look down on me! I'm playing by the game's rules!"
Ryuki frowned beneath his helmet. "Last I checked, you don't have a list of defeated Riders to your name either. And if you're enthusiastically playing by the sick rules of the Rider War, then you're playing the role of a Kamen Rider wrong."
"SHUT UP!" Gai screamed as he rushed at Ryuki! The dragon Rider easily sidestepping the rhino Rider's charge.
'How is this guy a college student when he throws a temper tantrum like a little kid?' Ryuki thought to himself as he dodged Gai's punches.
"Stand still!" Gai fumed as he tried to land a hit.
"Didn't playing videogames teach you that you need to work for your victories?" Ryuki quipped as he positioned himself in front of a wall. "Maybe life's just got a higher difficulty curve and you can't adjust."
Upon hearing this, Gai immediately lashed out, just what Ryuki was hoping for. As Gai charged at him full tilt, Ryuki leaped into the air and kicked Gai's back, sending the rhino Rider tumbling into the nearby wall. Once Ryuki landed, he opened up the Dragvisor and drew a card from his deck.
"Quit while you still can, Gai." Ryuki warned. "I don't want to hurt you any more than necessary."
"Never." Gai growled as he rose to his feet. "You haven't knocked my HP down to zero yet."
"Just because I don't want to take you out doesn't mean I won't take you down." Ryuki stated firmly. "And once I do, maybe I'll hand that deck to someone who's worthy of the mantle."
"You'll never take this game from me!" Gai snapped.
Ryuki sighed. "Guess I've got no choice."
Slotting in his card into the Dragvisor, Ryuki summoned the Dragsaber to his hand and charged at Gai. However, Gai smirked beneath his helmet as he snapped the Metalvisor shut.
"CONFINE VENT!"
Ryuki's eyes widened beneath his helmet as his Dragsaber suddenly vanished from his hands! He tried to stop his charge, but it was too late as his momentum carried him right into Gai's waiting fist. Ryuki didn't even have time to think before Gai struck him with a headbutt before slugging him in the gut. Gai sneered beneath his helmet at the winded Ryuki.
"Game over." Gai chuckled darkly as he drew his Strike Vent card from his Advent Deck and tossed it into the Metalvisor. But before he could shut the visor, Gai was blindsided by a pink blur and sent flying! When he recovered, Gai saw a pink Kamen Rider helping Ryuki to his feet. Raia had arrived on the scene.
"This a single-player game, or can I join in co-op?" Raia joked as he helped Ryuki to his feet.
"Thanks, Raia." Ryuki groaned. "Can't believe I missed that his visor was opened up. That was so reckless of me!"
"You're still learning." Raia said comfortingly. "No one starts out a master. Besides, it's far more important that you'll live long enough to learn from your mistake."
"Two against one? Forget this!" Gai huffed. "I'm bailing."
Raia and Ryuki watched Gai storm off, the former of which looked on in confusion.
"I take it that's your new friend from last night?"
"Sure is." Ryuki nodded before sighing. "And he's also my new boss."
"… What did I miss?" Raia asked in shock.
Ryuki let out a groan. "I'll tell you, Ren, and Yui about it after work today. If Gai doesn't fire me the instant I walk into the office. But enough about me, how'd you know where to-"
Raia said nothing, but Ryuki just knew he was giving him a deadpan look and an amused smile beneath his helmet.
"Right. Fortune teller." Ryuki chuckled sheepishly. "Well, I'd better head back to ORE Journal ASAP before the office turns into a battleground."
"Good idea." Raia nodded. "Perhaps you should consider calling Kitaoka up as well. Since whatever threatens your news site is also a threat to the object of his affection."
Ryuki nodded. "See you later, Tezuka."
Both heroic Riders went their separate ways upon exiting the Mirror World, Shinji returning to ORE Journal while Tezuka made his way to Atori Café. All the while, Shinji's mind was racing as he drove back to his workplace as fast as he could.
'Jun's getting a sick form of enjoyment from being ORE's new boss.' Shinji thought with a frown. 'First he puts down Nanako's skills, mocks Chief Okubo, and then he tries to hold me back from fighting Mirror Monsters! Whether he was doing the last one strategically or just to hurt me, I can't really say. But one thing I do know is that somehow we're going to take him down! You just made this personal, Jun. And I hope you're ready to deal with the sleeping dragon you've woken up!'
Back at ORE Journal, Jun was sitting in the office he'd usurped, stewing in anger over his recent retreat. It was bad enough with one Kamen Rider trying to ruin his fun, and now another one had to show up and be a buzz kill too? It just wasn't fair!
"This Rider War's starting to bore me a bit." Jun grumbled before staring at his computer's screen. A smirk appearing on his face. "Then again, I suppose that having more players in the game makes things much livelier. After all,"
Jun chuckled as he opened up a file that contained incredibly valuable information. Specifically, the contact information of ORE Journal's subscribers. He opened up another file containing the incomplete version of ORE's latest edition. Not a minute passed before Jun began to dismantle the file, leaving a large hole in the data. Large enough to slip in a program of his own. One that members of his online gaming club would, and have, killed for.
"Games are always more fun when playing with others." Jun said with a wicked smile. "And what game could be more fun than one where everyone gets to play?"
AN: *Ahem* I LIIIIVE! … But seriously though, I can't tell you all how sorry I am for getting to this so late. I was hitting a lot of snags after the chapter's big fight scene. I also wanted to make sure Gai wasn't made less of a threat without Shinji's card being stolen. I hope I was able to get it right. I'm going to try and get a more consistent upload schedule so you can all see this story conclude in the near future. I hope you're all enjoying the Gai arc as much as I've enjoyed working on it. Please keep on reading and reviewing! You're the ones who make this all possible!